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INCURABLE CONDITION

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TAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

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“During all of this I have been keeping a photo diary on Facebook and teamed up with a local not for profit organisation here in Austin called The Shade Project.

“My reason for doing this is to prevent anyone from ever being in my shoes.

“If seeing my pictures and reading about what I've been and am still going through makes one person put on sunscreen or go to the dermatologist and get checked then I've done my job.

“All my struggle isn't for nothing because me sharing my story made one person take better care of themselves.”

WHAT IS MELANOMA?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that can spread to other organs in the body.

The most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change to an existing one.

It can occur anywhere on the body but the most commonly affected areas include the back in men and the legs in women.

In most cases, melanomas have an irregular shape and are more than one colour.

The mole may also be larger than normal and can sometimes be itchy or bleed.Types:

Superficial spreading melanoma: These are more common in people with pale skin and freckles. Around seven in ten melanomas in the UK are superficial spreading. They initially tend to grow outwards rather than downwards, so don't pose a problem. However, if they grow downwards into the deeper layers of skin, they can spread to other parts of the body.

Nodular melanoma: These are faster-developing types that can quickly grow downwards into the deeper layers of the skin. Nodular melanomas usually appear as a changing lump on the skin which might be black to red in colour.

Lentigo maligna melanoma: This is a much rarer type of melanoma, with about one in ten melanomas being this type. They most commonly affect older people who have spent a lot of time outdoors. They develop over a number of years and appear in areas that get the most sun exposure.

Acral lentiginous melanoma: Acral lentiginous melanomas are a rare type of melanoma that usually occur on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. These are the most common type in people with dark skin.

Amelanotic melanoma: These melanomas are also rare, accounting for about five in every 100 melanomas. They usually have little or no colour, but may occasionally be pink or red, or have light brown or grey edges.

Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in the UK with around 13,500 new cases each year.

More than 2,000 people die every year in the UK from melanoma.

Treatment:
The main treatment for melanoma is surgery to remove it.

Surgery is usually successful if the cancer is diagnosed and treated at an early stage.

If melanoma isn't diagnosed until an advanced stage, treatment is mainly used to slow the spread of the cancer and reduce symptoms.

This usually involves medicines that target specific genetic changes in the melanoma, such as BRAF inhibitors, or medicines that boost the body's immune responses to the melanoma.

SOURCE: NHS Choices

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